Wednesday, 29 August 2012

In the blog of 18 April 2012, I mentioned the set which was to be issued by The Gambia to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the 2nd Republic of The Gambia. I have now received the set and I find it so interesting that I thought a second view of it was well worth while. So many issues from The Gambia have no relevance to the country itself so it is good to find a set released which has local significance. This set of 1 stamp, 1 sheetlet of 4 and a miniature sheet comprising a single stamp depicts President Sheikh Professor Alhaji Doctor Yahya AJJ Jammah (what a lot of titles he's got) and scenes relevant to the policies of the President's government and of the 2nd Republic as well of local culture.

The sheetlet's 4 designs include a "Cultural masquerade, "the Kumpo"" (D35 value) and the "Historic Monument Fort Bullen" (D35). The remaining 2 values are depicted below the illustration of the whole sheetlet:-

I have also just received 4 miniature sheets again of local interest in The Gambia which commemorate the 1st Gambian Methodist Bishop who was appointed on 5 February 2012 (the sheets are numbered 1225 to 1228 and have face values D15, D25, D35 and D50). The former Bishop, Rt. Rev. Prof. Peter Stephens, is depicted on one of the sheets as well as the present Bishop.

On the subject of churches, Barbados features one - St. Mary's Church - on the $2.00 value of the set of 4 stamps which it issued recently to depict historic buildings of the Garrison of the capital, Bridgetown. Other buildings featured are the Public Library ($2.75), the Main Guard Clock Tower (65c) and Gun Hill Signal Station (10c).

Finally, while still in the Caribbean, I now depict some of the stamps recently issued by Turks And Caicos to commemorate the birth bicentenary of Charles Dickens. The designs are all from the sheetlet of 6 which I have previously illustrated (blog of 14 August) but now that I have received it, I can illustrate in greater detail. The 6 stamps are all 30c in value and as well as those illustrated, the designs feature a portrait of the novelist dating from 1858, a scene from "A Tale of Two Cities" and the frequently used depiction of Oliver Twist "asking for more".